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Parashat Shemot
Shemot 1:1-6:1

Shemot 1:1 Ve'eleh shemot bnei Yisrael haba'im Mitzraymah et Yaakov ish uveito ba'u
And these are the names of the Children of Yisrael who were coming to Egypt; with Yaakov, each man and his household came.
2 Reuven Shimon Levi viYehudah
Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehudah;
3 Yissachar Zvulun uBinyamin
Yissachar, Zevulun, and Binyamin;
4 Dan veNaftali Gad ve'Asher
Dan and Naftali; Gad and Asher.

The Torah informs us of the number of hoseholds that came to Egypt with Yaakov.  All of Yaakov's descendants were married when they came to Egypt, even Chetzron and Chamoul, who were still very young.

After Yosef was sold, Yehudah married the daughter of Shua (Bereishit 38:2).  During the 22 years between the time Yosef was sold and Yaakov's emigration to Egypt, Yehudah had fourse sons, Er, Onan, Peretz and Zerach, and Peretz had two sons, Chetzron and Chamul (Bereishit 46:12).  It can easily be estimated that Peretz was only eight years old when his sons, Chetzron and Chamul were born.  When the family emigrated to Egypt, Chetzron was only two years old, and Chamul was only one.

Yaakov made sure that even these young children were married, so that they would not marry Egyptian women.

He also wanted to be certain that precisely seventy people would emigrate to Egypt with him, paralleling the seventy angels overseeing the nations.  Those who were not married could not be counted since when someone is unmarried, he is only half a man.  Yaakov therefore made sure that all his offspring were married before they went to Egypt.

Yaakov's sons are listed in the following order:  Reuven, Shimon, Levi,, Yehudah, Yissachar, Zevulun, Binyamin, Dan, Naftali, Gad and Asher.  In various places in the Torah, Yaakov's sons are mentioned in different orders.  This was to indicate that all were equal, that the sons of Rachel and Leah were not more important than those of Bilhah and Zilpah, who were slaves.  All of Yaakov's sons were equal, with no differences among them.

Of course, some were special.  Yehudah was honored because the royal line was destined to come from him. Yehudah was thus the first in offering sacrifice (BaMidbar 7:12, also BaMidbar 2:3).  Levi was also special, because his tribe would give rise to the Kohen-priests and Leviim.  Reuven was the eldest, and the first-born.  Yissachar was the most intelligent of the brothers. Yissachar was therefore the second in offering sacrifice (BaMidbar 7:18, Rashi ad. loc. Cf. 1Divrei HaYamim 12:32)

Nevertheless, when it came to piety, all were the same.  Although Bilhah and Zilpah had been slaves, their children were not inferior to those of Rachel and Leah; all of Yaakov's sons were saintly.  Furthermore, before Yaakov married Bilhah and Zilpah he freed them. (Tanchuma; Yefeh Toar, p.4)


Ve'eleh shemot benei Yisrael habaim - And these are the names of the Children of Yisrael who came.
The initial letters of these words spell שִׁבְיָה (captivity).  This indicates that even while Jews were in Egyptian captivity, they nevertheless maintained the names of the Children Yisrael, for they did not change their names

As the Midrash (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 48) teaches: Three merits allowed the Benei Yisrael to be redeemed from Egypt:

1. They did not change their names - they retained their Hebrew names
2. They did not change their language from the Holy Tongue to Egyptian
3. They did not speak slander or gossip

Various Midrashim, e.g., VaYikra Rabbah 32:5; Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:12 speak of four merits for which the Benei Yisrael deserved to be redeemed from Egypt, the fourth being that there was not a single instance of immorality.

Additionally, the conjunctive prefix ו (vav) of the word וְאֵלֶּה ("and" these are), indicates a connection between the subject of the previous narrative, "And Yosef died..." (Bereishit 50:26), and our verse, "And these are the names...", namely, he [Yosef] commanded the Benei Yisrael not to change their names.  Although the Egyptians changed his name to Tzafenat-paneach (Bereishit 41:45), he nevertheless told them, "You should not change your names." (Peirush HaRokeach).

Yisrael habaim - Yisrael who came.

The initial and final letters of these two words (when rearranged) for the word milah (circumcision).  And the final letters of et Yaakov ish (with Yaakov, each man), when read in reverse spell Shabbat.  This indicates that in the merit of the Shabbat and of circumcision, which they observed while in Egypt, they were redeemed.

Other Midrashim differ, however, and state that after Yosef's death the Benei Yisrael in Egypt either voluntarily abandoned the mitzvah of circumcision (Sifrei, Behaalotecha 67; Tanchuma, Behaalotecha 8), or were coerced by Pharaoh's decree to abandon it (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 29).  Elsewhere, the Baal Turim's comments reflect these other Midrashim.

The verse begins with the letter vav (=6) and ends with the letter vav, alluding to the twelve tribes.  This phenomenon may be explained through a parable:

A builder  constructed a palace using only one pillar as a support, and it collapsed.  He rebuilt it with two pillars and it caved in; with three pillars, and it crumbled. What did he do?  He built it with twelve pillars and it stood fast.

So, too, with regard to Avraham and Yitzchak, there was dross among their offspring (i.e., Yishmael and Esav), until Yaakov begot the twelve tribal progenitors among whom there was no dross.  This is hinted to in the phrase, "the hooks of the pillars" (Shemot 27:10), which can be understood as, the [two] letters vav (i.e., twelve) pillars, an allusion to the twelve tribes for they are the pillars of the world.

There are twelve mazalot (constellations of the Zodiac) in the heavens and there are twelve Tribes of Yisrael on the earth.  Just as the heavens cannot stand without the twelve mazalot, so can the earth not stand without the twelve tribes (Shemot Rabbah 15:6)

And so the Chosen People are called Benei Yisrael, not Benei Avraham, the Children of Avraham, because Yishmael is also Avraham's son, or Benei Yitzchak, because 'Esav is also Yitzchak's son (VeChur LaZahav).

1:5 Vayehi kol-nefesh yotz'ei yerech-Yaakov shiv'im nafesh veYosef hayah veMitzrayim
And all the persons who emerged from Yaakov's loins were seventy souls, and Yosef was in Egypt.

The seventy included Yosef, who was in Egypt.

All the seventy who emigrated to Egypt are enumerated in detail earlier (Bereishit 46:8-27).  Still, the Torah enumerates them again after their death.  This is to indicate how precious they are before G-d. (Rashi)

Also, Yisrael is likened to the stars. (BaMidbar Rabbah 2:11 from Bereishit 15:5, 22:17)  The stars are counted on high twice each day, when they come out in the evening, and again when they fade in the morning.  It is thus written, "He bring out their host by the number; He calls them all by name" (Yeshayahu 40:26).  G-d similarly enumerated Yaakov's sons, both during their lifetimes and after their deaths.  They were tzaddikim, beloved by G-d. (Akedat Yitzchak, BaMidbar.  Cf. Yafeh Toar)

This shows that Yisrael is not like the other nations.  Providence deals with other nations in general.  In the case of Yisrael, however, G-d oversees every single individual.  This is known as hashgachah peratit (individual providence).  G-d Himself directs the destiny of every single Jew and sees to his needs.  He therefore enumerated them here as individuals. (Raanach; Mevakesh HaShem, VaYigash)

There is an important reason that tzaddikim are likened to the stars.  Our sages teach that the righteous do not die; even after death they are considered alive. They still live, since their souls are beneath G-d's Kissei HaKavod (Throne of Glory).  In this respect, they are like the stars.  Although the stars are invisible by day, they exist in their place.  It is we who cannot see them, because of the illumination of the sky.  The same is true of the tzaddikim; they exist after death, but we cannot see them because of our sins.  Still, the tzaddikim remain in their place. (Toledot Yitzchak; Tzeror HaMor)

Just as it is impossible to see the light of the stars by day, it is impossible to see the greatness of tzaddikim in this world.   It is only recognizable after they die.  Our sages therefore say, "Tzaddikim are greater after death than they are in this life." (Chulin 7b)

1:6 Vayamot Yosef vechol-echav vechol hador hahu
Yosef died, and all his brothers and that entire generation.

Reuven lived 125 years and died in 2318 (1443 b.c.e.)
Shimon lived 120 years and died in 2314 (1447 b.c.e.)
Levi lived 137 years and died in 2331 (1430 b.c.e.)
Yehudah lived 119 years and died in 2315 (1446 b.c.e.)
Dan lived 125 years and died in 2321 (1440 b.c.e.)
Naftali lived 133 years and died in 2323 (1438 b.c.e.)
Asher lived 123 years and died in 2322 (1439 b.c.e.)
Yissachar lived 122 years and died in 2320 (1447 b.c.e.)
Zevulun lived 114 years and died in 2314 (1447 b.c.e.)
Yosef lived 110 years and died in 2309 (1452 b.c.e.)
Binyamin lived 115 years and died in 2323 (1438 b.c.e.)  (The Yalkut states that Binyamin lived 115 years.  However, Bachya has that he lived 109 years, Midrash Tadshe has 111 years, and Sefer HaYashar has 117 years.)

1:7 Uvenei Yisrael paru vayishretzu vayirbu vaya'atzmu bime'od me'od vatimale ha'aretz otam
The Children of Yisrael were fruitful, teemed, increased, and became strong - very, very much so; and the land became filled with them.

All married women in Egypt had children; not a single man or woman was sterile.  Babies did not die in infancy, but all grew to maturity.  Even though the children were the products of multiple births, they were all strong and healthy. (Yefeh Eynaim)  They were also large and powerful; none were puny and weak.  The Benei Yisrael were not like people with large families today, who have difficulty feeding and clothing so many children.  They were wealthy enough to support generously the huge families that they had.

1:8 Vayakom melech-chadash al-Mitzrayim asher lo-yada et-Yosef
A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know of Yosef.

G-d had told Avraham, "Know for sure that your offspring will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs.  The others will enslave them and oppress them for four hundred years" (Bereishit 15:13).  Now the Torah tells the story of this exile in detail.   As we have seen earlier, the Egyptians had begun to subjugate the Benei Yisrael immediately after the death of Yosef.

The Zohar relates that Rabbi Elazer ben Arakh taught:  When the exile of the Benei Yisrael began, the souls of all of Yaakov's sons gathered to Machpelah Cave and cried out to the Patriarchs, "Your children are being enslaved by a harsh nation."  They had gone there to request the Patriarchs to pray for the benefit of their children.

The Torah therefore states, "These are the names of the sons of Yisrael who came with Yaakov." (1:1).  After their deaths, they came along with Yaakov to pray for their children. (Zohar)

The Torah now begins to relate how the Egyptians began to subjugate the Benei Yisrael little by little.  The Egyptians began with false accusations, and enacted laws restricting the rights of the Benei Yisrael.  They then began to treat them as foreigners, stripping them of all the rights of citizenship.  Later, when the Egyptians saw that the Benei Yisrael were rapidly increasing in number, they began to seek methods to control their population.

The Torah begins this account by saying, "A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Yosef."  In the Talmud, there is a difference of opinion between Rav and Shmuel regarding the meaning of the expression, "a new king." (Sotah 11a)

One sage taught that there was literally a new king.  He came from a city far from the Egyptian capital.  Not on ly had he never seen Yosef, but he was not aware of his great deeds.  He was not a hereditary Par'oh, but had usurped the throne from the previous Par'oh, and had taken power by force. (Yafeh Toar)

The only Par'oh during this dynasty known to come from a non-royal background was Horemheb, who reigned 1339-1304 b.c.e. (2422-2457).  However, as we shall see, he was Par'oh of the Exodus, and the subjugation began much before his time. 

In Josephus, Contra Apion 1:15, there is an entirely different chronology of Egyptian Par'ohs, and one of the Par'ohs mentioned by him might fit both the time and description.  Josephus, however, maintains that the Hebrews were identical with the Hycsos, and had left Egypt before the 18th dynasty. 

It is normally assumed that the subjugation began around the time of Miriam's birth, which occurred in 2361 (1400 b.c.e.), and for this reason Miriam denotes "bitterness" (Seder Olam Rabbah 3).  According to accepted chronology, the "new king" would have had to be Thutmose IV, who riegned 1411-1397 b.c.e. (2350-2364). He was a son of Amenhotep II, and a grandson of Thutmose III. 

Sefer HaYashar states that the "new king" came into power 102 years after the Benei Yisrael came to Egypt, that is in 2340 (1421 b.c.e.), and that he was the son of the previous Par'oh.  Also that his name was Malol or Milul.  According to some historians, the reign of Thutmose IV actually began in 1420 b.c.e.

Others explain the words this sage by saying that the "new king" was the Par'oh who was born when Yosef was in prison (Bereishit 40:20) (Bachya)

This Par'oh would have therefore been 82 years old when he took power, and 96 when he died.  Sefer HaYashar, however, states that he was 26 when he took the throne, and that he reigned 94 years.  According to this, his reign ended in 2434 (1327 b.c.e.), and he would have been Par'ah until the beginning of the reign of Horemheb (according to to the above mentioned chronology).  Sefer HaYashar might mean that the throne remained in his family that long, which would agree with historical evidence.  Alternatively, the text may be corrected to read that he reigned 14, rather than 94 years, which would then correctly correspond to the duration of the reign of Thutmose IV.

The other Talmudic sages taught that this was not actually a new Par'oh.  He is called a "new king" because he issued harsh decrees regarding Jews, and behaved as if he did not know Yosef.  It was as if the fact that Yosef had literally saved Egypt from starvation had been utterly forgotten. (Sotah 11b; Shemot Rabbah; Zohar)

It was a well known Egyptian custom to obliterate the names of enemies of Par'oh.  This would also explain why no record of Yosef is found in Egyptian history.  According to this second opinion, the "new Par'oh" was still Amenhotep II.

According to some authorities, Par'oh did not do this voluntarily.  The Supreme Council of Egypt approached Par'oh and said, "We must find a way to exterminate the Israelites."

"Are you mad?"  Par'oh could not believe what they were asking of him.  "Don't you realize that we are now eating because of them?  If Yosef did not predict the terrible famine that came to our land, and did not advise us what to do, we all would be dead!"

When the members of the Supreme Council saw that they could not convince Par'oh, they voted to take away some of his power.  They repeated this three times, until Par'oh was virtually impeached.  Stripped of his power, he approached the council and said, "I will do whatever you tell me."  On this condition, they restored his kingdom to him.

The Torah describes this situation by saying, "A new king arose."  Par'oh took power again after he had been impeached. (Shemot Rabbah - the council may have consisted of the priests, who wielded great power in Egypt.)

1:9 Vayomer el-amo hineh am benei Yisrael rav ve'atzum mimenu
He said to his people, "Behold! the people, the Children of Yisrael, are more numerous and stronger than we.
10 Havah nitchakemah lo pen-yirbeh vehayah ki-tikrenah milchamah venosaf gam-hu al-sonenu venilcham-banu ve'alah min-ha'aretz
Come, let us outsmart it lest it become numerous and it may be that if a war will occur, it, too, may join our enemies, and wage war against us and go up from the land."

At this time, Par'oh had three chief advisors, Balaam, Iyov and Yitro. (Shemot Rabbah)

Balaam was one of the leading figures pressing for the extermination of the Benei Yisrael.  Providence therefore decreed that he would be killed by the sword (BaMidbar 31:18).

Iyov remained silent, advising neither good nor bad for the Benei Yisrael.  Providence therefore decreed that he would endure horrible suffering.

The only one to protest strongly against this injustice was Yitro. (Shemot Rabbah)  He kept protesting until he was forced to flee.  Seeing Yitro stubbornly opposing his plans, Par'oh intrigued to kill him.  Yitro got wind of Par'oh's intentions, and fled to Midiyan, where he remained many years. (Yafeh Toar)

According to the Egyptian constitution, when Par'oh died, all his decrees were automatically annulled.  Yitro abandoned his position and fled, hoping that Par'oh would die before his decree could be fulfilled. (Etz HaChayim)  G-d rewarded him by making his descendants members of the great Sanhedrin. (Shemot Rabbah from 1Divrei HaYamim 2:55)

The Egyptians wanted to undermine the Benei Yisrael in three ways:

1. through occult powers
2. by physical brutality
3. and through psychological warfare

The Egyptians began by appointing tax collectors to make the Benei Yisrael pay tribute in order to break their spirits.  The first tribute exacted from the Benei Yisrael was that they should fortify Pitom and Ra'amses as supply centers for Par'oh.  These cities had already been built as storage depots, but they could not be used, since they were not fortified against invaders.  Now, the Benei Yisrael were ordered to build walls around these cities and fortify them. (Rashi)

The Torah speaks of these cities as being Miskenot.  The word מִסְכְּנוֹת (miskenot) is related to the word סַכָּנָה (sakanah) meaning danger.  The walls of the cities were so high that building them was dangerous work.  One could be killed by falling from the wall, or by having a brick fall on one's head.  The word miskenot is also related to the word מִסְכֵּן (misken), meaning a poor man.  Engaging in building such as this can ruin a person.  He begins with a small estimate, and in the end, he must spend much more than he originally planned. (Yafeh Toar, p. 6)

The Benei Yisrael suffered very much in building these cities.  The Egyptains made them use inferior materials, and as soon as they began to build one section, the previous section would collapse.  Some say that earthquakes continuously destroyed their work, repeatedly forcing them to begin anew.  They could not even gain any satisfaction from their accomplishments. (Sota 11a; Shemot Rabbah)

It is therefore not surprising that so many Benei Yisrael were engaged in building two fairly small storage cities.  As fast as they built, the work was destroyed by earthquakes.

1:12 Vecha'asher ye'anu oto ken yirbeh vechen yifrotz vayakutzu mipeney benei Yisra'el
But as much as they would afflict it, so it would increase and so it would spread out; and they became disgusted because of the Children of Yisrael.

G-d had mercy on Yisrael, and the more the Egyptians tried to break their spirits through harsh labor, and to decrease their number, the more they increased.  G-d Himself announced, "The more they are oppressed, the more they will increase and spread.  Do not think that the Egyptians will be successful in annihilating them. The more plans they make to weaken them, the stronger they will become." (Sotah, loc. cit.  Cf. Bachya)

Seeing this the Egyptians began to dread the Benei Yisrael.  For "dreaded," the Torah uses the expression וַיָקֻצוּ (va-ya-kutzu).  The Egyptians began to despair (kotz) of their very lives because of the manner in which the Benei Yisrael were increasing.  The Benei Yisrael were like thorns (kotzim) in their eyes.

1:13 Vaya'avidu Mitzrayim et-benei Yisrael befarech
Egypt enslaved the Children of Yisrael with crushing harshness.
14 Vayemareru et-chayeihem ba'avodah kashah bechomer uvilvenim uvechol-avodah basadeh et kol-avodatam asher-avdu vahem befarech
They embittered their lives with hard work, with mortar and with bricks, and with every labor of the field; all their labors that they performed with them were with crushing harshness.

After conscripting the Benei Yisrael to build the storage cities  the Egyptians also forced them to do work in the fields, such as plowing, sowing, spreading fertilizer, digging ditches, and other hard labor. (Yefeh Toar, p. 7)

The Benei Yisrael were forced to work 24 hour shifts, day and night, without stopping.

What made the work particularly harsh was the fact that the roles of men and women were frequently exchanged.  Women were forced to men's work, and men had to do women's work. (Shemot Rabbah, Bo)  Thus, men were forced to cook, bake, wash, and sweep, while women were given such difficult tasks as plowing, hewing lumber, and building. (ibid.; Tanchuma, VaYetze)

The Benei Yisrael also suffered because the clay in Egypt was not suited for making bricks.  Bricks made of such clay often crumbled, and had to be remade.  Buildings built of such bricks often collapsed.

This is alluded to in the verse, "The Egyptains made the Benei Yisrael work with פֶּרַךְ (perach) (1.3).  They made them work with materials that would easily crumble (parach). (Sifetei Kohen)

This verse also teaches that the Egyptains made the Benei Yisrael do backbreaking work - work that crushes (parach) the body and breaks the spirit. (Rashi)

The Egyptains soon made another rule to break the Benei Yisrael's spirit.  The men must camp in the fields, while the women should return to the cities.  The rationale was that two or three hours a day would be lost commuting, and the daily quota would not be met.  If the men remained in camps near the worksite, they would be able to produce all the more. (Yalkut Shimoni; Shemot Rabbah)

Once the men were assigned to work camps, they could not even rest in the evening.  After finishing their daily quota, they still had assignments to make the camps livable.  One night they might have to split wood; on another, different tasks would be found for them.

In all this, the Egyptains' motive was to reduce the fertility rate of the Benei Yisrael.  But the women were saintly, and they would cook hot food for their husbands, and bring it to their camps.  They would soothe their husbands with soft words.  "Do not give up hope.  We will not be slaves to these degenerates all our lives.  We have G-d's promise that He will have mercy on us." (Bereishit Rabbah, Chapter 27)

1:17 Vatir'ena hameyaldot et-ha'Elokim velo asu ka'asher diber aleihen melech Mitzrayim vatechayeyna et-hayeladim
But the midwives feared G-d and they did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them, and they caused the boys to live

The two head midwives were none other than Yocheved and her five-year-old daughter, Miryam. Yocheved's professional name was Shifra because she was expert in beautifying (shafar) newborn infants, cleansing them and straightening their limbs. Miryam's professional name was Puah because even though she was a child, she was expert in cooing (pa'ah) to the newborn infants and calming them down when they cried. Her voice had a soothing effect on newborn infants, like that of many expert nurses.

According to another opinion, the two midwives were Yocheved and her daughter-in-law, Elisheva, daughter of Aminadav, who would marry Aharon. (Shemot 6:23) According to this opinion as well, Puah was very young since Aharon was only three years old at the time.

In the Torah the expression for "Hebrew midwives," meyaldot ha-ivriot, is spelled deficiently. Instead of being spelled מְיַלְדוֹת הָעִבְרִיוֹת, it is spelled מְיַלְדֹת הָעִבְרִיֹת, with the two final letters ו (vav) missing. This makes the plural deficient, and indicates that the two were closely related, being mother and daughter, or mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. It also indicates that one of the two was still very young. Therefore, it was as if there were only one midwife, with the other being secondary to her. (Yefeh Toar, p.8)

The Talmud also notes that the expression, "They allowed the infant boys to live," is apparently redundant. Since the Torah states that they refused to obey Pharaoh's instructions, it is understood that they did not kill the young boys. The Talmud resolves the difficulty by stating that not only did they not kill the infants, but they did everything in their power to assure them a good life. (Sotah 11b; Shemot Rabbah, p. 9) If the parents were poor, the midwives would collect funds for them to raise the child.

On many occasions women had difficulty in childbirth, and the only way a living child could be delivered was if it were maimed. In such cases the midwives would pray, "Master of the universe. You know that we do not want to follow the instructions of this evil king. We are placing our lives on the line in refusing to obey his command. We therefore pray that You spare this infant so that people not slander us and say that we maimed the infants because we were trying to kill them."

On other occasions, it seemed certain that either the mother or child would die in childbirth. In such cases they also fervently prayed that both survive, and G-d heard their prayers. This is all alluded to in the expression, [which more accurately is translated,] "They made the infant boys live." (Cf. Yefeh Toar, Ki Tisa, p. 193)

In Hebrew, the expression, "They made the infant boys live" is "vatechayeina et-hayeladim" As a general rule, the untranslated preposition "et" always adds something to the predicate noun. (Pesachim 22b; Yerushalmi Berachot 9:7) In this case, it comes to teach that the midwives made the mothers live, as well as their infant sons.

One may question this Talmudic teaching. How can the Talmud say that the expression, "They let the infant boys live," is redundant? According to Rabbi Yosi ben Chanina, Par'oh wanted to commit immoral acts with the midwives; therefore, when the Torah says that they refused to obey him, it is speaking about their refusal to engage in immorality. This being the case, the fact that they allowed the baby boys to live is not at all redundant.

The Talmud's question, however, can be understood on the basis of the rules of martyrdom, which have been discussed earlier. There are three cardinal sins that a Jew may not commit even if it means giving his life: murder, idolatry and sexual crimes. If a Jew is forced to do any of these sins, he must give his life rather than commit the act. This is called "Sanctification of the Name" (Kiddush HaShem).

These three sins are also forbidden to gentiles by the Seven Universal Commandments. However, a Gentile does not have an obligation to suffer martyrdom and therefore, when his life is at stake, he is permitted to commit these acts.

The only exception to this is murder. In the case of murder, there is no difference between a Gentile and a Jew. The reason that one must give his life rather than take a life is logical: who says that one person's blood is redder than that of another? Since such logic applies equally to a Gentile and a Jew, a Gentile must also give his life rather than commit murder.

According to Rabbi Yosi ben Chanina, the Torah is telling us that the midwives refused to allow Par'oh to take sexual liberties with them even though their lives were at stake, and according to the law, they might have been permitted to submit to him. If they were so scrupulous in keeping the commandments, they certainly would not have committed murder, which was forbidden even when their lives would be endangered. The Talmud then has a logical question: Why does the Torah have to inform us that they let the infant boys live?

According to the opinion that the midwives were Benei Yisrael, and Par'oh wanted them to abort male fetuses there was another reason that they could have obeyed his orders. While abortion is considered murder for a Gentile, for a Jew it is not murder. A Jew therefore is not required to suffer martyrdom rather than kill an unborn child. In risking their lives rather than abort the unborn fetuses, the Hebrew midwives went far beyond the requirements of the law, Although they were Benei Yisrael, they accepted upon themselves the stricter rule applying to Gentiles.

The midwives had learned an important lesson from Avraham. G-d had commanded Avraham to sacrifice his only son Yitzchak: "Take your son, your only one, whom you love, Yitzchak, and ... bring him up as a burnt offering. . ." (Bereishit 22:2) Avraham could easily have argued that G-d was going back on His word since he had earlier promised Avraham, "Through Yitzchak you will be said to have offspring." (Bereishit 21:12) How could G-d now command him to sacrifice Yitzchak?

Still, Avraham did not stop to question G-d's word. He hurried to do his Creator's bidding. Since he went far beyond the requirements of logic, he was said to "fear G-d."

In risking their lives, the midwives, too, went far beyond the requirements of logic and the law. They were also said to "fear G-d."

Furthermore, although the Benei Yisrael refused to circumcise their sons, the midwives still saw to it that they had sufficient food. This they also learned from Avraham, whose house was open on all four sides, and who would receive guests without inquiring as to their character. Avraham would even feed uncircumcised pagans, hoping that they would change their ways and learn to worship G-d. The midwives also nourished the infants, even though they were uncircumcised. (Shemot Rabbah; Yefeh Toar; Shama Shlomo)

1:22 Vayetzav Par'oh lechol-amo lemor kol-haben hayilod haYe'orah tashlichuhu vechol-habat techayun
Pharaoh commanded his entire people, saying, "Every son that will be born - into the River shall you throw him! And every daughter shall you keep alive!"

Par'oh's decree to cast newborn male infants into the Nile extended both to the Benei Yisrael and to the Egyptians. The Torah therefore states, "Every son that will be born - into the River shall you throw him!" without distinguishing between the Benei Yisrael and the Egyptian. The law was that even newborn Egyptian males were to be cast into the Nile. (Shemot Rabbah; Rashi)

According to another opinion, at first the decree only extended to the Benei Yisrael. Later, however, it was made to include the Egyptians. (Sotah 12a. Cf. Targum)

Besides the reason given by Balaam, Par'oh had another reason to cast the infants into the Nile. The astrologers told Par'oh that Yisrael's redeemer would die by water. Their prediction was actually true since Moshe died as a result of water after he struck the rock to draw water from it. (BaMidbar 20:12) But they misread the signs and assumed that the power of Yisrael's redeemer would be broken if he were thrown into the water. They therefore advised Par'oh to cast all newborn boys into the Nile, so Yisrael's redeemer would be killed even before he had a chance to grow up. (ibid.; Shemot Rabbah, pp. 10, 13c)

One might question this account. If the astrologers saw that the redeemer would die by water in any case, why was it necessary to issue this harsh decree and spill rivers of blood? They realized that some effort is usually needed for someone's destiny to be fulfilled.

For example, there might be a good wind, but a ship will not reach its destination unless its sails are properly set and its course determined. The more expertly the sailors work, the sooner the ship reaches its port.

Here too although the redeemer was destined to die by water effort would be required to make certain that he met his evil destiny. (Yad Yosef)

The Egyptians refused to accept Par'oh's decree. They complained, "Is it not obvious that the redeemer of the Benei Yisrael will be born among their people? How can you even think that an Egyptian would help them? You are asking us to kill our own children for nothing." (Shemot Rabbah)

This decree lasted until Moshe was placed in the Nile, as we shall see in the coming chapter.

Pharaoh's decrees became harsher and harsher. Soon he decided that throwing the infants into the Nile was not sufficient. He then decreed that infants be killed and their bodies placed in the walls of the structures that were being built.

This was meant as an "incentive" for the Benei Yisrael to complete their daily quotas. If a man did not make his quota of bricks on a given day, he was given a ghastly choice: Either he or his child would have to be placed in the structure to make up for the missing bricks. Such punishment would be exacted even if one missed his quota by a single brick. (Yalkut Reuveni; Sefer HaYashar)

Ten thousand infants were drowned as a result of Pharaoh's decree. Some say that as many as 600,000 were killed. (Shir HaShirim Rabbah)

The Midrash relates the opinion of Rabbi Yanai that the decree to kill the Hebrew males was issued three years and four months before Moshe was born. During that entire period, every male child born was cast into the Nile. When Moshe was born the astrologers became aware that it was too late and advised Pharaoh to retract the decree.

According to Rabbi Yannai, Yisrael's harshest hour was an hour of G-d.  Since on of G-d's days is one thousands years (Tehillim 90:4), an hour, which is a twelfth of a day, is 83 years and 4 months.  Moshe was 80 years old when he stood before Par'oh (Shemot 7:7), and therefore, the decree to kill the infants was 83 years and 4 months earlier.

Many Benei Yisrael were mortared into the walls of the structures while still alive. They screamed and begged for mercy, but no one would take pity on them. Many infants were also thrown into fire. (Yalkut Shimoni from Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer)

Throughout all this, the Benei Yisrael did not know that this was a plan devised against them by Par'oh. They were led to believe that such ghastly acts were being done by individual Egyptians on their own initiative. Many Benei Yisrael even complained to the authorities and were told that if proper witnesses would be brought, the perpetrators would be punished.

Eventually, of course, the Benei Yisrael discovered the truth. As it became known, the Egyptians began to commit such murders openly. (RaMBaN; Bachya

All along, however, G-d had mercy on His people. The majority of infants thrown into the Nile did not drown but were miraculously carried to the desert by Mediterranean currents. Providence provided each infant with two stones; one would provide milk and honey for nourishment, and the other would provide oil to bathe the child's body. The infants grew up as strong and as healthy as they would have in their parents' homes. (Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer; Yalkut Shimoni)

2:10 Vayigdal hayeled vatevi'ehu levat-Par'oh vayehi-lah leven vatikra shemo Moshe vatomer ki min-hamayim meshitihu
The boy grew up and she brought him to the daughter of Par'oh and he was a son to her. She called his name Moshe, as she said, "For I drew him from the water."

Yocheved brought him to Par'oh's daughter, and the princess hugged the child and kissed him. From that time on, he did not leave the palace, as if he were actually the princess' son.

All the Egyptians wanted to see the princess' adopted son. Whoever looked at his face could not take his eyes from him. Par'oh himself would constantly play with the child, cherishing him very much. (Shemot Rabbah)

This is an indication of the power of Providence. Par'oh had laid elaborate plans that every Hebrew boy should be drowned in the Nile. Now Providence directed that the very person who would redeem Yisrael would grow up in Par'oh's palace. G-d arranged that Par'oh's nemesis would be raised in his own household without his knowledge. Although Par'oh knew that the child would not nurse from an Egyptian woman, his eyes were blinded and he did not realize that the child was a Hebrew. G-d arranged for Moshe to be raised in the royal court in order to learn the qualities of leadership that he would eventually need. As a result of his palace experiences, Moshe would know how to lead a huge nation. He would also have entry into the palace and would know how to deport himself in the royal court. Having been raised in Par'oh's house, he would not be overawed when speaking to the Egyptian monarch. (Ibn Ezra; Abarbanel)

Par'oh's daughter named the child משֶׁה (Moshe) in Hebrew.  This is related to the Hebrew word משה (mashah) meaning to "draw something from water".

The name was divinely inspired. If it only indicated that the child had been drawn from water, the name should have been מָשׁוּי (Mashui) meaning "drawn" in the passive sense. Moshe, on the other hand, is in the active voice, meaning "drawer." The name indicated that Moshe would be the one who would "draw" the Benei Yisrael out of Egypt.

Moshe actually had many names.

When he was born, his father Amram named him Chever because he was born after he had once again joined (chavar) his wife after having divorced her. This name also suited the child because he was destined to join (chavar) the Benei Yisrael to their heavenly Father.

His mother, Yocheved, named him Yekutiel from the root kava, meaning "hope". She said, "I had hope and trust in G-d, and he restored my body allowing me to have children. This child will also be the hope of Yisrael."

Miryam, his sister, named him Yered. Because of him, she went down (yarad) to the Nile to see what would happen to him. He would also be the one to make the Torah come down (yarad) from heaven and be given to the Benei Yisrael. Furthermore, every day the manna descended (yarad) through his merit.

His brother, Aharon, called him Avi Zanoach, literally, "master of rejection," from the Hebrew verb zanach, "to reject." He said, "My father rejected my mother, but took her back because of this child. He will also make Yisrael reject idols. Through his prayers, he will bring G-d to reject all the accusers, who condemn Yisrael for their sins."

Moshe's nurse called him Avi Socho She said, "He is the master (avi) of the seers (sochim) and prophets. Through his divine inspiration, he will be able to see all hidden things." Although his mother raised him, she had a nurse to help. (Zayit Raanan)

His grandfather, Kehat, called him Avigdor literally "master" (avi) of the "fence" (geder).] He said, "Since the birth of this child, G-d has fenced in Pharaoh, not allowing him to continue his decree to drown Hebrew infants."

The Benei Yisrael who knew his destiny called him Shemaya ben Natanel. They predicted, "In his days G-d will hear (shama) our voices." (Megilla 13a; Shemot Rabbah, p.14; VaYikra Rabbah 1:3; Sefer HaYashar)

All but the last of these names are found in the verse, "His wife, the Jew, gave birth to Yered, Avigdor, Chever, Avi Socho, Yekutiel, Avi Zanoach - these are teh sons of Bitya, daughter of Par'oh, who married Mered" (1Divrei HaYamim 4:18), see Targum ad. loc.  The last name, Shemaya ben Natanel, is found in 1Divrei HaYamim 24:6, see Targum ad. loc.

Of all these names, the only one by which he was generally known was Moshe, the name given to him by Par'oh's daughter. None of the other names is even mentioned in the Torah. G-d Himself addressed him by the name Moshe. (Shemot 3:4) This shows that because of her self-sacrifice in raising the child, Par'oh's daughter was literally considered like his mother. This teaches that raising an orphan in one's home is like giving birth to him. (Shemot Rabbah; Megillah 13)

G-d said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Although Moshe was not your son, you raised him as your very own. I too will make you My daughter. From now on, your name will be Bitya. Bitya has the connotation of Bat Yah, "G-d's daughter." (VaYikra Rabbah, loc. cit.)

The name is also found in 1Divrei HaYamim 4:18; the man, Mered, whom she married is identified with Kalev, see Rashi ad. loc.  In Antiquities 2:9:5, Josephus writes that the original name of Par'oh's daughter was Termutis.

Her reward was that she was allowed to enter Paradise (Gan Eden) while she was still alive. Whoever saves a single Jew's life is counted as if he saved the entire world, and G-d gives him good reward.

Moshe was born in the year 2368 (1393 b.c.e.). He was born on a Wednesday at 9 a.m. As we have already seen, his birthday was 7 Adar.

According to another opinion, the one who named him Moshe was none other than his mother Yocheved.

2:11 Vayehi bayamim hahem vayigdal Moshe vayetze el-echav vayar besivlotam vayar ish Mitzri makeh ish-Ivri me'echav
It happened in those days that Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren.
12 Vayifen koh vachoh vayar ki ein ish vayach et-haMitzri vayitmenehu bachol
He turned this way and that and saw that there was no man, so he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

As Moshe grew older, he also grew in power. He eventually became one of the palace officers. (Rashi) There is a tradition that Moshe remained in the palace until he was twelve years old. (RaMBaN)

According to Sefer HaYashar, however, Moshe was 18 when he fled Egypt.

Moshe was extremely popular in the royal court. (Tanchuma)  Most of all, however, he was loved by his foster mother, Bitya, daughter of Par'oh. She treated him as her only son, not letting him out of her sight. Because of this, he only had two occasions to travel alone all during his youth. (Shemot Rabbah, p.14)

Moshe knew very well that he was a Hebrew, and he went out to see his fellow Hebrews. What he saw was a horror of subjugation and slavery. Tears streamed from his eyes when he saw this sight. "Better I should die than witness such a degradation of a people," he said.

Mingling with the people, he did the best he could to help. If he saw a person struggling under his load, he would run to him and ask if he could help.

This is the first sign of saintliness. When a tzaddik sees injustice and wrong, he cannot tolerate it. Moshe soon became aware of all the nefarious schemes that the Egyptians used to break the spirit of the Benei Yisrael. They would make children carry burdens designed for adults, and force women to carry men's burdens. The elderly would have to carry burdens meant for young men at the peak of their strength. There was no mercy.

Moshe mixed with the workers, helping wherever he could. He was careful not to let the Egyptian know that he was a Hebrew. He acted like an Egyptian volunteer, working for "patriotic" reasons. If the Egyptian had known that he was a Hebrew, the only way he would have been able to help his brethren would have been to become a slave himself. (ibid.; VaYikra Rabbah, BeChukotai.  Cf. Yefeh Toar, p. 14)

Upon his return to the palace, Moshe used his influence to help his people. He had noted that they had no time to rest all week, working every day without a break. Discussing the situation with Pharaoh one day, he said, "If a person has a slave, he always gives him some time to rest. If not, the slave dies, and the entire investment is lost. I therefore suggest that you give your slaves at least one day a week as a day of rest. If you do not, they will all die, and you will later have regrets."

"A splendid idea," said Par'oh. "I give you full authorization to designate a day of rest for the Hebrews."

Moshe then issued an order that the Benei Yisrael were to work six days and be allowed to rest on the seventh.

In the Shabbat morning Amidah, we thus say, "Let Moshe rejoice in his portion." When G-d first gave Yisrael the commandment to keep the Shabbat (Shemot 16:23), Moshe rejoiced in his portion. He was happy that the seventh day that he had designated as a rest day for the Benie Yisrael was precisely the day that was now designated by G-d. (Tur, Orach Chayim 281)

The Benei Yisrael told Moshe about all their troubles. He was also told about the incident when he took the crown from Par'oh's head, and how Balaam had advised Par'oh to kill him. When Balaam heard that Bitya's foster son Moshe knew about the advice he had given, he became terrified that Moshe would seek revenge. Together with his two sons Balaam fled to Ethiopia.

One day Moshe saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. This is what had happened:

In order to get the allotted task done, the Egyptians had appointed Hebrew overseers under the orders of Egyptian officers. Each Hebrew overseer was in charge of ten Hebrews, while each Egyptian officer was in charge of ten overseers. If the Benei Yisrael did not complete their daily quota, the officers would take it out on the overseers. The task of the overseers was to see that the Benei Yisrael worked constantly, without stopping for even a moment.

Every morning the officers would go to wake up the overseers, so that the latter would get their crews together to work. One morning an Egyptian officer came to the house of an overseer by the name of Datan and saw his wife. The Egyptian was struck by her perfect beauty, and became infatuated with her. The wife's name was Shelomit, daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan.

The next day, the Egyptian came to Datan's house very early in the morning, while it was still dark. He was greeted by Shelomit, who laughed and said, "So early, and you're already on your rounds! The cock has not even crowed yet. It's not time to go into the field yet. You must be terribly anxious."

The Egyptian took this last remark as an intimate invitation and became highly aroused. Not wanting to seem lazy to his Egyptian officer, Datan hurried out to round up his crew, even though it was still dark. The Egyptian was hiding a short distance from the house.

With Datan safely on his way to work, the Egyptian let himself into the dark house. In the shadows, he saw Shelomit in bed, and joined her. Thinking it her husband, she submitted to him. She was to conceive from this episode.

Meanwhile, Datan noticed that he had forgotten something, and rushed home. Just as he approached his house, he saw the Egyptian coming. Finding his wife in bed, he asked, "Did that Egyptian touch you?"

"What Egyptian?" replied the wife. "I was just in bed with you." It did not take Datan long to find out what had happened, and the Egyptian also realized that he knew. Letting out his frustration on Datan, the Egyptian began whipping him and shouting, "Why are you so lax in your work?"

The Torah thus says that Moshe saw the Egyptian "beating a Hebrew." He had been beating him continuously and singling him out for especially difficult tasks. The Egyptian was waiting for Datan to respond, giving him an excuse to kill him. This would prevent his liaison from becoming known.

Par'oh had given strict orders that Egyptians not fraternize with Hebrew women. This was an act of Providence, preventing the Hebrew women from becoming defiled by the Egyptians. Shelomit was thus the only Hebrew woman with whom such an episode had occurred.

As soon as he discovered what had happened, Datan wanted to divorce his wife. Now that she had been defiled by the Egyptian, he did not want to live with her. But he could not find her since she had fled to his brother Aviram.(Sefer HaYashar; Yalkut Reuveni)

Datan and Aviram were brothers BaMidbar 16:1.

When Moshe saw the Egyptian beating the Hebrew, he was prophetically aware of all that had happened in the house, that the Egyptian had defiled the Hebrew's wife. He was also aware that the Egyptian intended to find an excuse to kill the Hebrew.

Using all his prophetic power, Moshe looked into the future of the Egyptian to see if he would have any descendants who would do good. If he found a single descendant who was destined to do a good thing, he would not kill the Egyptian. Children and grandchildren of wicked people, who do good in their own right, are very precious in G-d's eyes like a rose coming out of the thorns. But as far in the future as Moshe gazed, he did not see a single good person descended from this Egyptian. Obviously, the courts cannot take such things into consideration when they sentence a man to death. An ordinary mortal has no means of determining such things, and if the courts were to refrain from executing anyone who could possibly have good offspring, even the worst criminals would go unpunished. Crime would spread without restraint.

Moshe, however, had the power to see all this man's potential offspring, until the end of all generations, and he knew that the Egyptian would never have good descendants. The Torah therefore says that Moshe "looked back and forth, and saw that there was no one there." He gazed back and forth at all potential descendants of the Egyptian and saw that there was no one who would deserve to be born. Like all the wicked, the potential descendants would be no better than the dead. Although there were many Hebrews around, Moshe also saw that none of them would report him to Par'oh's authorities. "There was no one there" who would accuse him of killing the Egyptian without reason.

Moshe killed the Egyptian primarily because he had committed adultery with a Jewish woman. Adultery is forbidden by one of the Seven Universal Commandments, and it carries a mandatory death penalty. A Gentile can be sentenced to death with a single witness and judge. Since Moshe had prophetically perceived all that the Egyptian had done, he was able to act as witness, judge and executioner.

According to another opinion, Moshe killed the Egyptian for beating an Yisraeli. According to this opinion, for a Gentile to strike an Yisraeli is a crime punishable by death. From the time that Avraham was circumcised, he and his descendants were considered "Yisrael" in this respect, even before the Torah was given.

This case was all the more severe since the Egyptian was attacking the Hebrew with deadly intent. In such a case, it is always permitted to kill the assailant in order to rescue his victim.

Moshe had come from the palace totally unarmed. But he was so strong and powerful that he was able to kill the Egyptian with a single blow to the head with his fist.

According to another opinion, Moshe struck the Egyptian with the basin in which mortar was mixed. The Egyptian's head was split open, killing him instantly.

There is still another opinion that Moshe made use of his mystical powers to kill the Egyptian, utilizing one of G-d's secret names.

It is with regard to using such names that Hillel taught, "He who makes use of the crown will pass away." Moshe, however, did so to save a life. (Avot 1:13)

Moshe then buried the Egyptian in the sand with a number of Hebrews looking on. He said, "I realize that the Hebrews are likened to sand. I can take sand from one place to another, without anyone realizing it. Let no one be aware of what you are seeing now."

The death of the Egyptian remained a mystery. Although many Benei Yisrael knew about it, none gave any information. Moshe was able to return to the palace as if nothing had happened.

2:13 Vayetze bayom hasheni vehineh shnei-anashim Ivrim nitzim vayomer larasha lamah takeh re'echa
He went out the next day and behold! two Hebrew men were fighting. He said to the wicked one, "Why would you strike your fellow?"

On a second occasion, Moshe went out to see what was happening in the world. He came across two Hebrew men fighting. The two men were the brothers, Datan and Aviram, who were quarreling. They were constantly involved in conflict, as we shall later see. (BaMidbar 16:1) They were wicked, and are only mentioned in the Torah in the context of wrongdoing. (Shemot Rabbah; Tanchuma)  Now they were fighting about the bill of divorce that Datan wanted to give his wife, Shelomit. (Yalkut Reuveni)

One now lifted his hand to strike the other. Moshe saw him and said, "Fiend! Why do you want to strike a fellow human being?"

This teaches that if a person so much as lifts his hand to strike another, he is considered wicked, even if he does not actually hit him. The Torah thus says that Moshe addressed the "wicked man," and that he said, "Why are you about to strike your fellow man."

He did not say, "Why did you strike your fellow man?" This indicates that as soon as one lifts a hand against another he is considered wicked. (Sanhedrin 58b; Shemot Rabbah; Zohar, Bereishit)

There is an ancient ban (cherem) that excommunicates anyone who strikes a fellow Jew. One who does so must have the ban annulled before a pro forma legal tribunal of three men. (Tur, Choshen Mishpat 420)

It is also forbidden for a man to strike his wife. One who does so is subject to Divine punishment.

2:14 Vayomer mi samecha le'ish sar veshofet aleinu halehorgeni atah omer ka'asher haragta et-haMitzri vayira Moshe vayomar achen noda hadavarHe replied, "Who appointed you as a dignitary, a ruler, and a judge over us? Do you propose to murder me, as you murdered the Egyptian?"

"Who do you think you are?" asked the man. "You have no authority over us. We are more important than you. You may claim to be a son of Par'oh's daughter Bitya, but we know that you are Yocheved's son.

"Would you say to kill me? Would you try to kill me with a word with one of G-d's names just as you killed the Egyptian? It will become well known that not only are you a Hebrew, but you are even involved with the Hebrew mysteries. If this becomes known, things will no longer go well with you."

Moshe became frightened and very worried. He saw that there were Hebrews who would resort to informing on him. This being the case, they might not be worthy of being freed.

"The matter has truly become known," he said. "Until now, I wondered what sin Yisrael committed to be subjugated so, and made to live such harsh lives, more than any nation in the world. But today the matter has become known. They slander one another, they resort to character assassination and inform on each other; they therefore deserve this subjugation."

2:15 Vayishma Par'oh et-hadavar hazeh vayevakesh laharog et-Moshe vayivrach Moshe mipnei Par'oh vayeshev be'eretz-Midyan vayeshev al-habe'er
Pharaoh heard about this matter and sought to kill Moshe, so Moshe fled from before Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midyan. He sat by a well.

Datan and Aviram sought an audience with Pharaoh and told him that Moshe was giving the court a bad reputation. "Remember the time he took the crown from your head," they said. "Now he is aiding and abetting your enemies."

Pharaoh looked at them unbelievingly  He knew Moshe to be the most loyal of his princes. Datan and Aviram gave their carefully rehearsed speech.

"He's not really your grandson, you know."

"The first time he went out on his own, he killed an Egyptian."

Datan and Aviram mounted a campaign of slander against Moshe until Pharaoh became convinced that he was really a traitor and revolutionary. He sentenced Moshe to death.

The Torah thus says that Pharaoh "sought to kill Moshe." It does not say that he "sought Moshe to kill him," but that he "sought to kill" him. Pharaoh had Moshe in his power, but since the sword had not harmed him, the Egyptians had to seek another means to execute him.

Moshe thus fled from before Pharaoh in such a way that no one was aware of it.

All this was a result of G-d's providence. Normally, Pharaoh would not want to kill Moshe out of hatred. Moshe had grown up in the palace as a member of the royal family. It would not be natural for Pharaoh to become his mortal enemy just because of slander on the part of a pair of Hebrew slaves. But G-d caused this hatred in order to bring Moshe to his destiny. This would be the first intimation of the great miracles that G-d would do with him.

According to one opinion, Moshe fled as soon as he heard that Pharaoh was aware of the incident. He knew better than to try to defend himself before Pharaoh. As he had learned from the Patriarchs, it is sometimes best to flee and avoid trouble. Avraham had thus fled from Nimrod, Yitzchak from Avimelech, and Yaakov from 'Esav.

Moshe ended up in the land of Midyan and lived near a well. At this time, he composed a song of praise, thanking G-d for saving him from Pharaoh's hand.

Around this time, a great war broke out between Kush (Ethiopia) and Aramia and the lands of the East. These nations were vassal states to Kush, but now they were fighting for independence.

During the first year of the siege Moshe fled Egypt. He found his way to Kush and joined the force of King Kinkos, becoming very popular among the troops, who were impressed at his royal bearing. Thoroughly familiar with Egyptian battle tactics, Moshe found himself teaching the troops, further gaining their respect and admiration.

At that time, Moshe was a strong young man, around twenty years old. Seeing his wisdom and popularity, the king took him as his closest advisor.

Moshe was a most popular king. Having restored the city to his troops, he was acclaimed as a national hero. There was an elaborate coronation ceremony, where the royal crown of Kush was placed on his head. He was also given the young widow of King Kinkos as a wife. However, since she was a descendant of Kenaan, with whom marriage had been proscribed to Avraham's descendants, he was never intimate with her.

Hearing that Kinkos had died, the tribes of Syria and the East rebelled once again. Moshe assembled thirty thousand well-armed troops and marched against the tribes of the East. At the first encounter, the enemy lost three hundred troops and immediately surrendered. They saw that Moshe was the equal of Kinkos in battle and had no stomach for further war. At a formal surrender, they agreed to pay their regular tribute. The same happened to the tribes of Syria.

Moshe was then able to return to Kush and rule in peace. He remained there as king for forty full years. During this period, the nation prospered greatly.

The one person who was unhappy was the queen. She approached the Supreme Council of Kush and said, "What have you done to me? Everyone considers me the royal queen, but the king never even touches me. Besides, it is a known fact that he does not believe in our gods. A king should have the same religion as his subjects. Kinkos' son is now mature, and he is experienced in running the government. It is time for him to be appointed king."

The council heard her out and agreed with her argument. The next day they voted to crown Kinkos' son as king. Still, they did not dare to formally impeach Moshe. All the populace feared him and looked upon him as a divine angel.

Swearing that they would do him no harm, the council approached Moshe and explained the situation. They gave him many gifts and sent him off with great honor, befitting a former king. Moshe thus left Kush and settled in Midyan.

2:16 Ulechohen Midyan sheva banot vatavonah vatidlenah vatmalenah et-harehatim lehashkot tzon avihen
The minister of Midyan had seven daughters; they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's sheep.

The Torah now tells us of Moshe's marriage. When Eliezer went to fetch a wife for Yitzchak, he first met Rivkah at the well. Yaakov similarly first met Rachel at a well. Now, as we shall see, Moshe also met his wife-to-be at the well.

Yitro had been one of Pharaoh's chief advisors and was considered one of the greatest occultists of his time. Coming to Midyan with his knowledge of all the occult practices of Egypt, he had a strong advantage over the local priests. It was not long before he was elected as their high priest. The more he delved into the science of the occult, the more Yitro began to realize that the idolatrous practices that accompanied such rituals were mere superstitions. Soon worship of wood and stone statues became something of a joke to him. An honest person, he was determined to resign his position. (Devarim Rabbah, VeEtChanan)

He assembled the other priests and announced his retirement. "All this time I have served you with all my power. Now I am getting old and would like to rest. You must seek a replacement for me."

Although Yitro had given up his belief in idols, he was still afraid to openly denounce or deride such practices. The priests took them seriously and would kill him for blasphemy. He therefore used his retirement as an excuse to relinquish his position. (Tanchuma; Shemot Rabbah, p. 18)

The priests suspected his true motives, however, and took all the gold and silver dedicated to their temple out of his control. Pressure against Yitro increased, and soon the priests were telling the people not to do any work for him. Before long, he could not even find anyone to clean his house or do chores for him.

Having resigned his priesthood, Yitro was earning a living as a shepherd. Too old to tend the sheep himself, he sought to hire shepherds but in vain; the young men were too afraid of the priests to work for him. Not having any choice, he had to let his daughters tend his sheep. (Shemot Rabbah; Zohar)

Yitro had seven daughters. They would take the sheep out early in order to get to the well before the other shepherds. Arriving at the well, they would draw water by themselves, fill the troughs, and water the sheep.

All seven daughters would go together even though one could easily have done the job alone, just as Rachel had. But they wanted to hurry and finish quickly before the other shepherds came. One would draw water while the other filled the troughs, with the others rushing the sheep to drink. They wanted to be sure to be gone before the other shepherds came since they were very much afraid of them. (Bet Ne'eman)

2:17 Vayavo'u haro'im vayegarshum vayakom Moshe vayoshian vayashk et-tzonam
The shepherds came and drove them away. Moshe got up and saved them and watered their sheep.

One day the girls came to the well later than usual. They had drawn water, but had not yet watered the sheep, when a band of shepherds suddenly arrived at the well. Seeing the girls alone, they attempted to rape them. The girls, however, began to scream, frightening the shepherds away. (Shemot Rabbah)

This is actually alluded to in the verse. In the expression, "drove them away," the masculine form וַיִגָרְַשׁוּם is used rather than the feminine form וַיִגָרְַשׁוּן.  Literally, the verse can be read, "the shepherds came, and [the girls] drove them away." (Alshekh)

The screams, however, were not enough to keep the shepherds away for very long. Angry and frustrated, they threw the girls into the well. It would not do for the girls to report the incident to the authorities. (Shemot Rabbah)

Moshe had just come to Midyan from Kush that day, and he was sitting and resting not far from the well. Hearing the commotion, he looked up and saw what the shepherds were doing. With his prophetic powers, he was, with a single glance, able to know the entire history of the girls' family. He realized that the girls were being attacked primarily because their father had abandoned the local idolatrous practices. He immediately jumped to his feet, and pulled the girls out of the well. (Zohar)

While the girls were drying themselves off, Moshe watered their sheep. Drawing water was man's work, he explained, but since they had already drawn water the least he could do was to finish the job and water the sheep. (Shemot Rabbah)  Moshe had learned this from Yaakov, who had similarly watered Rachel's sheep. (Bereishit 29:10) Whenever possible, Moshe tried to emulate the Patriarchs. (Ibid.; Zohar, VaYetze) G-d had promised him that he would find his wife-to-be at this well. (Zohar)

The girls told Moshe that they were still afraid of the shepherds. Not every day would they find a stranger to protect them. Moshe called to the shepherds and assured them that there was no enmity between them. As a token of peace, he watered their sheep as well.

This is alluded to in the Torah, which says, "he watered their sheep," using the masculine term for "their" (צֹאנָם) rather than the feminine term (צֹאנָן). (Divrei Shalom)

2:18 Vatavonah el-Reu'el avihen vayomer madua miharten bo hayom
They came to Reu'el their father. He said, "How could you come so quickly today?"

The girls came home to their father, who was then called Reu'el. He had adopted that name after abandoning idolatry and beginning to worship G-d. The name Reu'el means "friend of G-d" רֵיעַ אֵל (Rea kEl). (Shemot Rabbah, p. 18)

Besides Reu'el, he also had six other names, the best known being Yitro.

Yitro was very surprised that his daughters had come home so early. Although they watered their sheep early in the morning, they would usually spend the rest of the day grazing the sheep. On this day, however, they were so agitated from their encounter with the shepherds that they returned right home. They were also anxious to tell their father about the mysterious stranger who rescued them.

2:19 Vatomarna ish Mitzri hitzilanu miyad haro'im vegam-daloh dalah lanu vayashk et-hatzon
They replied, "An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds, and he even drew water for us and watered our sheep."

The girls referred to Moshe as an "Egyptian man" because he still wore Egyptian clothing.
Some sages interpret the expression in a somewhat different manner, using the following parable:

A man is bitten by a wasp and runs to the river to cool off the stinging bite. Arriving at the river, he sees a child drowning and saves him. The child says to the man, "if not for you, I would have drowned." The man replies, "If not for the wasp, I would not have been here to save you." (Shemot Rabbah. Cf. Yerushalmi, Berachot, Chapter 5)

When Yitro's daughters thanked Moshe for saving them, he told them a similar parable and said, "Don't thank me for saving you. Thank the Egyptian whom I killed. If not for him, I would not be here."

When the girls related the incident to their father, they ended by saying, "So you see, Father, it was an Egyptian man who saved us." They were referring to the Egyptian that Moshe had killed.

Moshe told them this so that they should know that it was not he who saved them, but G-d, who was carefully watching over their father because he had abandoned idolatry. Unless G-d wills it, man can do nothing. (Shemot Rabbah.  Cf. Zohar)

2:23 Vayehi vayamim harabim hahem vayamot melech Mitzrayim vaye'anechu venei-Yisrael min-ha'avodah vayiz'aku vata'al shav'atam el-ha'Elokim min-ha'avodah
During those many days, it happened that the king of Egypt died, and the Children of Yisrael groaned because of the work and they cried out. Their outcry because of the work went up to G-d.

Three years passed from the time that Moshe married Tzipporah until G-d spoke to him from the Burning Bush. During these three years, the persecution became more severe, and the Benei Yisrael began to groan under their harsh burdens.

Although this period of the harshest persecution lasted three years, the Torah refers to it as "many days." When a person enjoys life and is engaged in interesting work, days pass very rapidly. But when a person is miserable, every day seems like a year. This was the situation with the Benei Yisrael. During this period, they suffered more torment than during all the other years. The Torah thus says, "The Benei Yisrael groaned because of their harsh labor."

According to some authorities, the king did not actually die. If he had, the Benei Yisrael should have rejoiced. They were now free of a harsh tyrant, and could hope that his successor would be better. These authorities maintain that Pharaoh actually contracted a leprous skin infection. Similarly, when the scripture speaks of "the death of King Uzziyahu" (Yeshayahu 6:1), it also means that he became a leper. In those days, a leper was considered as good as dead.

The physicians told Pharaoh that the only cure for his disease was to bathe in the fresh human blood of young children. The occultists added that the blood of Yisraeli children would be particularly effective. Pharaoh thus issued orders that 150 Yisraeli children be slaughtered each morning and 150 each evening so that he could constantly have fresh blood in which to bathe.

When the Benei Yisrael heard of this decree, they cried out from the depths of their hearts. The Torah thus says, "The Benei Yisrael groaned because of the labor."

The Torah's expression may seem somewhat puzzling here. Why does the Torah say that they moaned because of the "labor?" It would seem more logical for the Torah to say that they cried out because their children were being slaughtered. This would appear to be a better reason for the Benei Yisrael to moan and mourn.

A clear explanation for this is provided by Rabbi Avraham Rosanes. G-d had told Avraham, "Know for sure that your offspring will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs. [The others] will enslave them and oppress them for four hundred years." (Bereishit 15:13) Ultimately, however, the Benei Yisrael did not spend nearly this much time in Egypt, especially under conditions of slavery. There are many ways, however, of resolving this difficulty.

One of the most logical resolutions is that the Benei Yisrael fulfilled the decree through numbers rather than time. Thus, for example, if 100 people were destined to be in exile for 400 years, then 200 people would only have to be in exile for 200 years.

Another answer is that Pharaoh made the Benei Yisrael work much harder than the decree had specified. He degraded them, broke their bodies and spirits, and completely exhausted them. Thus, every year was at least equivalent to two.

The initial decree was merely that the Benei Yisrael come slaves. At first, the Benei Yisrael felt secure that they would have it easy in their exile and would not have to work very hard. When they saw how rapidly their population was growing, they were even happier. They assumed that with their increased numbers, their servitude for two years would be completed in one. This would make their redemption come sooner.

Even harsh labor did not dishearten them. The harder they worked, they assumed, the sooner their redemption would come.

But now, hundreds of Yisraeli children were being killed every day. At this rate, their population would rapidly decline and their redemption would be delayed. If their population were sufficiently decreased, they would have to work two years to complete a single year of the Divine decree. Their labor therefore seemed all the more harsh, and hence they "groaned because of their labor."

When Pharaoh's disease did not heal, his occultists told him that the blood of first-born Yisraeli children would be especially effective. When this new decree was issued, the Benei Yisrael cried out even more, as the Torah states, "Their moaning from the labor came up before G-d."

At this time, the Benei Yisrael were beginning to adopt the idolatrous worship of the Egypt, and they did not deserve to be redeemed. But Egypt heard the screams of the infants torn from their mothers' breasts to be slaughtered like animals. He also remembered the covenant that He had made with Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. The merit of the Patriarchs is a very powerful force.

Because of all this, G-d miraculously healed Pharaoh. Hebrew children would no longer have to be killed.

According to another opinion, Pharaoh's disease did not heal at all. The more children he killed, the worse it became. This source, however, maintains that only a total of 375 children were killed. He remained sick for ten years, with his condition constantly deteriorating.

One day, two Egyptian officers came from the Goshen territory and reported that the Yisraelim were not fulfilling their quotas. Furious, Pharaoh said, "The Hebrews know that I am sick. That is why they have become so lazy. They are mocking me! They claim to be working hard, but they are really living an easy life."

His courtiers tried to calm him, but Pharaoh would not be pacified. "I must see for myself," he declared. Thoroughly disregarding his serious skin infection, he gave orders that his horse be prepared, and that plans be made for an immediate royal visit to Goshen. Ten officers would accompany Pharaoh to see to his needs.

With pus running from the open sores in his body, Pharaoh was helped onto his royal chariot. He gave orders that a short cut be taken through the narrow roads in the hill country in order to arrive as soon as possible. The horses were forced to run at full gallop, holding very close together because of the narrowness of the roads. On one turn, the horses' feet became entangled in each other, and the chariot was completely overturned.

Thrown from his chariot, Pharaoh fell under his horses. His cloak became entangled in the traces, and as the horses struggled to disentangle themselves, they trampled him all the more. He suffered many broken bones and severe lacerations. So badly injured was he, that his servants had to carry him back to Egypt on a litter.

This was all an act of Providence. G-d had punished Pharaoh for his desire to visit Goshen in order to persecute the Jews further.

Lying in bed in his palace, Pharaoh knew that his end was near. He summoned his wife and all his advisers in order to appoint a successor. Pharaoh had three sons and two daughters, one of whom was Bityah, mentioned above. The oldest son was immediately ruled out since he did not have the will nor the intelligence to run a kingdom. A younger son, on the other hand, was highly motivated and intelligent.

The younger brother, however, was extremely ugly. He was a short, fat dwarf with a very long face. Despite his looks, he was extremely intelligent. For the benefit of the kingdom, he was chosen to be Pharaoh's heir. He was given a ten-year-old girl as his wife. He then took another three wives, and had eight sons and three daughters.

As days passed, Pharaoh's skin infection became more severe until many areas of his skin became gangrenous. The stench was so bad, like a dead animal rotting in the summer sun, that people could not stand in his presence. He suffered in this manner for three years, and then died.

When Pharaoh died, it was impossible to mummify him as is normally done to Egyptian Pharaohs. His body had such a terrible stench that no one could go near it. It was also not buried in the tomb prepared for it.

With the death of this Pharaoh, an unbroken dynasty of 94 years came to an end.

Because of his cruelty to the Benei Yisrael, however, his end was very bitter.

When Pharaoh died, the Benei Yisrael began to moan and lose hope. They had hoped that when the new Pharaoh took office, he would free all slaves as many of his predecessors had done. But the new monarch had no such plans and kept them as slaves. The Benei Yisrael began to feel that they would never be freed.

Of course, the Benei Yisrael suffered even before Pharaoh died. But they could not weep since this was something that their overseers would not permit. Now that Pharaoh had died and the Egyptians were weeping, the Benei Yisrael could also weep. Their real reason for weeping however, was because of their harsh labor.

With the death of Pharaoh, Egypt's guardian angel was also removed from his position. Until now, he would not let the prayers of the Benei Yisrael break through to G-d. With him out of the way, their prayers "came up before G-d."

Although G-d knew that the Benei Yisrael did not deserve to be freed, he had mercy on them for the sake of the Patriarchs. The Patriarchs were also praying for their descendants as we have seen earlier.

This also teaches that the ultimate redemption will only come if we repent and pray. It is like the first redemption from Egypt that only came through repentance and prayer.

One reason for the harsh exile that we are now experiencing was Esav's tears when he lost the birthright. (Bereishit 27:38) We must weep enough to wash away his tears; then we will be redeemed.

One may be very surprised that the Torah states that the Benei Yisrael groaned and screamed to G-d. We know that when a person worships, he should do so silently so that others do not hear him. Here, however, it appears that the Benei Yisrael screamed out their prayers.

However, the rule that prayer must be silent only applies to the Amidah, the silent standing prayer. If one prays out loud, he makes it seem as if G-d cannot hear silent prayer. But when a person is in anguish and prays to G-d for help, he must cry out and weep, begging G-d to have mercy on him. Such a person is not screaming because G-d cannot otherwise hear, but because of the tremendous pain in his heart. For example, when a person has a normal audience with a king, he speaks in quiet, respectful tones. If he began to scream, he would be summarily ejected. But if a person who is being dragged to the execution block screams out to the king for mercy, his behavior would not be looked upon as incorrect. The king realizes that the cry is from the depths of the heart.

In general, then, when a person is troubled, he should cry out to G-d. It is thus written, "In their time of trouble, they cried out to G-d , and He delivered them from their distress." (Tehillim 107:6)

Moshe, too, cried out to G-d when he prayed that the plague of frogs be removed. (Shemot 8:8) Pharaoh had told Moshe that if he prayed to remove the frogs, he would set the Benei Yisrael free. Believing this to be his chance to free his people, Moshe prayed from the depths of his heart. When a person is in pain and anguish, he cannot hold himself back to pray silently. He must cry out to G-d with all his emotions.


Baal HaTurim on Parashat Shemot

3:13 Vayomer Moshe el-ha'Elokim hineh anochi va el-bnei Yisrael ve'amarti lahem Elokei avoteichem shlachani aleichem ve'amru-li mah-shmo mah omar alehem
Moshe said to G-d, "Behold, when I come to the Children of Yisrael and say to them, 'The G-d of your forefathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His Name?' - what shall I say to them?"

ve'amru-li mah-shmo mah - And they say to me, "What is His name?" What shall I say?

The final letters of  (li mah-shmo mah) spell the Tetragrammaton.  G-d conveyed to Moshe His Ineffable Holy Name in a conversation that continues through verses 14 & 15.    Immediately thereafter, G-d told Moshe, "Go and gather the elders of Yisrael" (v16).  For the pronunciation of this Name may not be transmitted except to the elders of the generation. (Kiddushin 71a; Peirush HaRosh to our verse; Gilyon HaShas to Sukkah 12a and Megillah 3a).

3:14 Vayomer Elokim el-Moshe eheyeh asher eheyeh vayomer koh tomar livnei Yisrael eheyeh shlachani aleichem
G-d answered Moshe, "I Shall Be As I Shall Be." And He said, "So shall you say to the Children of Yisrael, 'I Shall Be has sent me to you.'"

Ekyeh asher Ekyeh - I Shall be As I Shall Be

The gematria of Ekyeh is 21.  That is also the gematria of the initial letters of the three Divine Names which begin the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, "Hashem, Hashem, G-d" (34:6); and the gematria of the initial letters of the names of the Patriarchs - Avraham, Yitzchak, Avraham; and the initial letters of the five books of the Torah: Bereishit begins with the ב of bereishit; Shemot with the  of ve'eleh; VaYikra with the ו of vayikra; BaMidbar with the ו of vaydaber; and Devarim with the א of eleh. (Peirush HaRokeach)

The gematria of two times Ekyeh is 42, which implies that G-d taught Moshe the forty-two letter Divine Name.

The Talmud (Kiddushin 71a) speaks of Divine Names of twelve letters and forty-two letters.  Rashi comments that these Names are not known to us.

The gematria of three times Ekyeh is 63.  The three appearances of the word contain twelve letters, alluding to the twelve tribes, whose names contain a total of fifty letters.  Combine them with the thirteen letters in the names of the Patriarchs and the sum will be 63. (Peirush HaRokeach.)

Thus the three appearances allude to the Patriarchs and their descendants.

3:15 Vayomer od Elokim el-Moshe koh tomar el-bnei Yisrael HASHEM Elokei avoteykhem Elokei Avraham Elokei Yitzchak ve'Elokei Yaakov shlachani aleichem zeh-shemi le'olam vezeh zichri ledor dor
G-d said further to Moshe, "So shall you say to the Children of Yisrael, 'HASHEM the G-d of your forefathers, the G-d of Avraham, the G-d of Yitzchak, and the G-d of Yaakov has dispatched me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance from generation to generation.'

zeh-shemi le'olam - This is My Name forever.

The gematria of the word zeh is 12.  This teaches that G-d transmitted to Moshe the Divine Name of twelve letters.

4:14 Vayichar-af HASHEM beMoshe vayomer halo Aharon achicha haLevi yadati ki-daber yedaber hu vegam hineh-hu yotze likratecha vera'acha vesamach belibo
The wrath of HASHEM burned against Moshe and He said, "Is there not Aharon your brother, the Levi? I Know that he will surely speak; moreover, behold, he is going out to meet you and when he sees you he will rejoice in his heart.

yedaber hu vegam hineh - He will... speak; Moreover, behold.

The first letters of these words form the Tetagrammaton .  This indicates to you that Moshe transmitted to Aharon knowledge of that Name and all the other Divine Names.

4:24 Vayehi vaderech bamalon vayifgeshehu HASHEM vayevakesh hamito
It was on the way, in the lodging, that HASHEM encountered him and sought to kill him.

vayifgeshehu - and...encountered him.

The masoretic note ב׳  means that this word appears twice in the Tanach:

1. vayifgeshehu HASHEM vayevakesh - and HaShem encountered him and sought to kill him (4:24)
2. vayifgeshehu behar ha'Elokim - and [Aharon] encountered him at the mountain of G-d (4:27)

This indicates that at the time Moshe was lax to fulfill the mitzvah of circumcision, the angels named Af and Cheimah (Anger and Wrath), came to swallow him up. (Nedarim 32a)

The Talmud - Nedarim 32a - explains that Moshe's laxity in circumcising his son was apparent in his spending too much time establishing his lodgings before performing the circumcision.  It was during that period that the angels attached him.  There is a Talmudic dispute (Nedarim 31b-32a) regarding the angel's intended victim.  The Baal HaTurim's comment here is in accord with the opinion that the angel sought to kill Moshe.  However, his comment to 5:22 is in accord with the view that the angel sought to kill the uncircumcised baby.

But Moshe was unable to withstand them until Aharon came and assisted him.  As is stated, And [Aharon] encountered him at the mountain of G-d, and in Aharon's merit, he was saved.

The Baal HaTurim's source for Aharon's role in saving Moshe is unknown.  A simple reading of the verses seems to indicate that Aharon was first instructed to leave Egypt to meet Moshe after Moshe's life had already been spared thanks to his wife's quick action.  However, the Baal HaTurim has already stated that Aharon set out to meet Moshe even before Moshe departed for Egypt (v. 14).  If so, the sequence of events recoreded here follos the principle - the Torah does not necessarily relate events in their chronological order (see Pesachim 6b) 

The Talmud records a dispute regarding the validity of circumcision performed by a woman.  v25 states: "Tzipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son"  is adduced to prove that a woman may perform circumcision.  However, that proof is rejected because the verse may be understood as Tzipporah had someone take a kinfe, and she had the foreskin of her son cut off (Avodah Zarah 27a).  Mekorei Baal HaTurim suggests that the "someone" was Aharon.  That Talmudic passage is then the Baal HaTurim's source for Aharon's role.

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Baal HaTurim; MeAm Lo'ez; Rashi; Bachya

Parashat VaYechi